The Cinematic Correlation
by Cara meli
Summary: Sheldon and Amy watch Gravity for date night. (You don't necessarily have to know the movie to understand this.)


This story contains heavy reference to the movie _Gravity _but can also be easily understood by anyone who haven't seen it. Nevertheless, if you intend to see the film and don't want to be spoiled, then read no further.

* * *

It was 6:55 in the evening. Sheldon arranged the popcorn, chips, soda and water on the table. He positioned the throw pillows on the couch and ensured that they would provide the needed comfort for later. The television and the player were set as well. Everything was ready; all that was left to do was to wait for his date.

Amy glanced at her watch as she took the last step approaching her boyfriend's apartment. She really didn't feel like watching a movie that night, especially one that Sheldon was overly-enthusiastic about. Ever since her comment about the _Raiders, _she had been careful with her critical evaluation of the movies and shows he like. True, she continued to tell him her opinion on those things but, while doing so, she now made certain that her assessment would not totally ruin the experience for him.

He sounded so excited when he called her that afternoon and relayed a change of plans for their date night.

"Amy, have you seen the movie _Gravity _yet?" he asked over the phone.

"No. Why?"

"Excellent. I just received my _Gravity _on Blu-Ray this morning. Can we maybe watch it for date night?"

"Oh," she paused. She honestly thought she had gotten away from watching that movie. When it was shown in the theaters, she conspired with the girls to schedule their night out on the same day their boyfriends planned to watch the film. "You liked it that much, huh?"

"Yes. I'm sure you'd like it, too. So what do you say?" he said, his excitement, unwavering.

Even though she highly doubted she'd enjoy the movie, she acceded to his request. The posters and the teasers she read online just didn't sound interesting to her. An accident in space, she sighed. For some reason, the combination of the words space and movie just never felt the same to her after that Star Wars marathon last May.

Still, there she was, knocking on her boyfriend's door for an hour or two of another space movie.

Sheldon opened the door and greeted her with a wide smile on his face. "Right on time," he said. "Come on in. Everything's ready."

She returned his smile and looked around. He had indeed prepared for the night, which made her feel a little guilty for dreading their date. He waited for her to get settled and then proceeded take his spot beside her. "Are you comfortable?" he inquired.

"Yes, thank you," she said.

Sheldon took one final glance at her. She was in her usual sitting position with her hands on her lap and a pillow on her back. He shifted in his place as well to prepare for the experience ahead. "Good," he said before finally hitting the play button.

The movie opened with text about temperature, sound, and air pressure in space against a black backdrop. _Oh boy, I don't feel good about this. Star Wars opened with text, too,_ Amy thought. _And…of course, there's no oxygen in space; everyone knows that! _She said in her head as the text about oxygen flashed before them.

Sheldon's eyes were wide with amazement although there was not much action on the film yet. A partial view of earth from the space appeared next onscreen. Then, there was silence.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" he said, his eyes glued to the tv. It was nothing they hadn't seen before but Amy felt inclined to agree with his observation. Her skepticism about her possible enjoyment of the movie nonetheless remained unchanged even when the sound of radio communication between the astronauts and some station started to become more audible.

She watched with dead eyes as three astronauts floated in space and chatted away while attaching an equipment of some sort outside the Hubble. But, that didn't last long. About eight minutes into the movie (yes, she was counting time), a line from Dr. Stone, played by Raj's favorite actress Sandra B, blew her mind away.

The characters were admiring things from the outside, what they liked being up there. With another breathtaking shot of earth from outer space, Dr. Stone answered—

"The silence. I could get used to it."

It was a statement at once so simple yet so profound it made Amy associate the idea of isolation to harmony and grandeur. All of a sudden, the thought of being alone, of being cut off from others felt very attractive.

Perhaps that was the reason Sheldon was drawn into the film; it was starting to get to her as well.

Before she met Sheldon, her life was okay. She was contented. Contrary to what her relatives imagined, being alone did not translate to loneliness and misery for her: she was fine. In fact, for many years, she found her solitude quite delightful. She had science and that was enough. Dr. Stone's line and delivery reminded her of that feeling.

Amy looked over at Sheldon. She knew he looked forward to that time when human contact would no longer be necessary. _Does he still desire it?_

They did well without each other before they met and they were okay, too, when they were apart for some time after Sheldon ran away. At some point, anyway, they would be without each other again, and, she realized, it's something they were used to and something they could get used to once more.

"Mission abort! I repeat, mission abort!" the Houston station said. And, with that, the film's music gained crescendo. A few seconds later, debris from a missile-hit satellite were upon the astronauts. Chunks of metal and parts hit the protagonists' space craft, the Explorer. It started spinning, taking Dr. Stone with it.

Amy gripped her knees and Sheldon firmly held on to the couch with suspense, as Dr. Stone got detached from the Explorer, separated from her colleagues. She was spinning fast and drifting. Spinning and drifting to nowhere. When at last the movement slowed down, the reality of being alone hit her.

"Do you copy?" she said, panting very hard.

"Anyone?

Anybody?"

There was no answer.

In one swift movement, Sheldon took Amy's hand. Their fingers locked tightly, as if to make sure that they still have each other, that they are not floating around in a void with no one beside them, that they are not, in short, alone.

How their imagined promise of solitary existence turned into a curse of miserable struggle, they didn't know. But, for Sheldon, anything analogous to the situation Dr. Stone found herself in, would be torture.

It reminded him of what he felt like when he boarded the train out of Pasadena. He wasn't knocked down by debris or pushed out by an irresistible force. He chose to be alone, to spin and drift without direction since the organization he was used to had collapsed anyway. One day, he looked around the train and, while there were other passengers with him, he sensed that there was truly no one there with him. No one there for him. That's when he called out.

"Do you copy?

Please copy.

Please." Dr. Stone pleaded desperately.

Lieutenant Matt, one of the three astronauts shown in the film, soon answered her and just like that the hope in her voice returned. The energy, volume, even her breathing surged with her regained strength.

The couple watching on the couch sighed with relief; their hands still intertwined but loosened a little.

Sheldon eyed Amy, the woman who answered his call and cured his own desperation, and proceeded to reassuringly rub her palm with his thumb.

The two astronauts made their way to the Explorer, bouncing nauseatingly in space, only to see the dead bodies of their colleagues. Reminders of their life floated away around them: a cap, a Marvin the Martian toy, a picture of someone's family.

Matt and Stone journeyed to the International Space Station in the hopes of finding succor there. Along the way, they talked about Stone's life down there on earth, forcing her to reflect on how she had been living her life after her daughter died and what or who awaits her if she survives.

Confronted with such topic, Sheldon inevitably responded with his own projection: Would anybody miss him if he dies?

That was easy, he thought. His mother, sister, Meemaw—his family would miss him. Leonard, Penny, and the gang would miss him. And then, there's Amy. His loving, patient, and strong Amy. She would miss him. An image of Amy crying because of him flashed before his eyes and, suddenly, the question and its answer didn't feel as easy as before.

But what if…what if Amy died before him? Sheldon shook his head at the thought. No. Just no. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and stared at the feminine fingers on his hand.

"You're gonna have to learn to let go," Matt told Dr. Stone.

She held on to him after their tether broke when they hit the body of the ISS. But, as Matt pointed out, he was only dragging her away from the station (she was caught in a rope which made her loosely attached to the structure) and if that continued, none of them would survive. Matt severed the rope she was holding on to, the one connecting her to him, and released himself. He drifted away directionless but with one sure destination: death.

Sheldon released her and Amy wanted to cry at the sight of her forlorn hands but that didn't last long. She felt Sheldon lift his arms, wrap it around her waist, and pulled her to him. She moved closer, leaned on to him, and rested her head on his chest.

"Thank you," Amy muttered, relishing the feeling of his body against hers.

The movie turned out to be something Amy never imagined it could be. She was emotional and she just couldn't stop herself from drawing parallels from it.

There were many instances when Sheldon appeared unsure about their relationship, about how he felt about the changes her presence made to his life. But despite those times when he said he go back and forth with the boyfriend-girlfriend thing, he had to let her go or that they have to end their relationship, Amy was certain he never really wanted her out of his life. Otherwise, he would have proceeded with their breakup when she signed the termination agreement and showed no resistance to his move. Instead, he interrupted her twice, ignored the signed contract, and allowed himself to be the subject of her blatant manipulation.

If something like in the movie happened between her and Sheldon, she'd ask Sheldon to let go, too and she was convinced that he would; he'd know it's the logical solution. However, she was also certain that he would not let her go easily—a comforting thought. At least, if they part ways, she'd know she was needed by him somehow.

Dr. Stone stared off at the distance inside the ISS, as she lost sight and contact with Matt.

At that exact scene, Amy sensed Sheldon's grip around her tighten. In turn, she lifted her foot off the floor and wrapped her arms around him so they were now cuddling like they did before when she got upset over bridesmaids' dresses, except this time, there was more force in their hug.

That's when she knew for sure: he wouldn't let her go after all.

But, then again, neither would she.

They barely talked since the movie started. Yet, that first forty-six minutes of _Gravity_ was the most that they had ever communicated. They looked meaningfully at each other, relaying more messages than any word could possibly relay, and sealed their understanding with a long and passionate kiss.


End file.
